When it comes to Q4 e-commerce, it’s easy to put all your effort into events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Single’s Day. But there’s a ghostly underdog in their midst.
Traditionally one of the biggest holidays of the year in the US and UK, Halloween is a huge money-maker for brands both online and in-store. In fact, US Halloween sales were expected to hit $8.05 billion in 2020.
While the pandemic dampened some classic Halloween pastimes, the spookiest day of the year is staged for a strong comeback, with 87% of shoppers planning to purchase the same amount of or more Halloween candy this year.
And with more countries taking on the spooky celebration and adapting it to their own cultures too, Halloween looks set to open the cross-border e-commerce doors for sellers willing to take the plunge.
As an ambitious online retailer, you have an awesome opportunity to tap into this growing holiday market. To help you attract your target customer, sweep up more Halloween e-commerce sales, and gain loyal fans, we’ve put together some unmissable tricks (and treats 😜).
The scoop on Halloween e-commerce
- Why prepping your store for Halloween makes perfect sense
- 7 knockout tips to prep your store for Halloween
- The secret to record-breaking Halloween e-commerce sales
Ready to rock this Halloween? Learn how SellersFi can help you scare up more sales.
Why prep your store for Halloween?
With Q4 upon us, you’ve probably got your hands full prepping for the upcoming spending frenzy — so, you’d be forgiven if other events have overshadowed your Halloween prep.
But here’s why it’s time to take a closer look at Halloween and make sure it doesn’t drop off the list:
- Halloween is perfectly timed to kick off Q4: There’s no denying that Halloween is fun. Halloween events give your brand the opportunity to stand out, shake up your marketing, and become more memorable. Nail this holiday and your store is sure to be top of customers’ minds for other Q4 events.
- Halloween is a sales-driving machine: Thanks to costumes, sweet tooths, and themed parties, Halloween retail can pull in a ton of cash for e-commerce sellers. In fact, the UK’s Halloween online sales shot up from £230M in 2013 to £474M in 2019. More sales = more profits, growth, and prospects for your brand. What’s not to love?
- Every store can find a way into Halloween: The great thing about Halloween is you can apply it to any niche. Simply position your products around a fun, spooky, or family-friendly Halloween and you’re good to go.
Gearing up for a Q4 showdown? Get the right funding for the ride.
Halloween e-commerce sales: 7 knockout tips to prep your online store
1. Show customers how to use your Halloween products
An easy way to boost Halloween sales is to show customers how to solve Halloween-specific problems with your products.
For example, if you sell cleaning products, you could demonstrate how to remove residue from things like stickers, tape, and chalk, to help shoppers in their post-Halloween clean-up.
By taking a little extra time to spell out how your products can help make the most of this awesome holiday, you’ll help shoppers justify spending money in your store and avoid any second-guessing.
🕷️The Inside Scoop: Leveraging your Halloween promo content
Remember to post your content in different formats like ebooks, social media posts, and videos, to ensure every visitor has the opportunity to consume your content how they like.
Shoppers love a bit of retail therapy tied in with some spooky fun — so much so, 20% of all e-commerce sales occur during Halloween weekend.
2. Spook-ify your store to boost conversions
Check out these simple ways to get shoppers excited for Halloween and drive more sales:
- Host “trick or treat” giveaways.
- Hide discount codes in product listings, ads, and banners, and task shoppers with finding them.
- Customize your marketing emails, social content, and website with Halloween designs.
- Give away free Halloween-themed gifts.
- Create limited-time products just for Halloween.
Optimize your product pages with Halloween-related keywords.
3. Head for a Halloween weekender
Beyond anything, Halloween is super fun — so why have only one day of celebrations when you could keep the party going?
Since Halloween celebrations often extend into the weekend, why not take the opportunity to carry out special promos in the lead-up to the weekend to drive more engagement, leads, and sales? For example, you could use Friday and Saturday as teasers for a Sunday Halloween showdown.
Need some spooky inspiration?
Scope out these tactics to entice shoppers and keep them coming back for longer:
- Drop a new ‘mystery’ product each day.
- Hold flash sales over the Halloween weekend.
- Tie a competition to every Halloween-related product or day.
- Sell products for one day only.
- Create lucky dip discount codes for use on specific days.
- Implement pre-orders and early access for your email subscribers.
4. Craft an irresistible Halloween email marketing campaign
Email marketing is an e-commerce favorite for good reason. Not only are email campaigns highly customizable, but they’re also great for qualifying readers based on recent actions.
Here’s how to step up your Halloween marketing with all the right emails:
- Pre-Halloween email sequence: Drip your store’s show-stopping promos and events into a series of emails, leaving cliffhangers to ensure shoppers open each one. For example, you could use something like, “Tomorrow we’ll unveil a top-secret gift you won’t want to miss, so remember to check your emails!”
- Halloween Day emails: On 31st October, drop your best deals (and some exclusive ones too), send reminders for last-minute sales, and don’t forget to include extra gifts in your abandoned carts to help convert would-be shoppers.
- Post-Halloween emails: Once you’ve got your shoppers’ attention, get them excited for what’s coming next throughout Q4. Encourage customers to stick around so they can benefit from all the amazing events coming up. And remember to add value in every email, to serve as a launchpad for future promos.
- Segment your email campaigns: Shoppers visit your store with different wants and needs, so it’s crucial your emails speak to customers on an individual level. Here are a few tips to help add some personalization into the mix:
- Arrange campaigns by specific products (e.g. target frequent buyers of your top sellers).
- Target past Halloween shoppers in your store.
- Send your big spenders exclusive deals.
- Reintroduce your brand to shoppers that haven’t opened your emails in a while.
5. Harness social media’s conversion-boosting powers
Consumers are on social media more than ever before, with the average person spending around 145 minutes on social media every day.
To make the most of social, research which platforms your target customers spend the most time on, then post content to capture their attention. Check out this quick social media checklist for Halloween and beyond:
- Post helpful and inspirational content on your social sites.
- Create influencer marketing campaigns at every stage of the buyer’s journey.
- Run paid ads on social media.
- Encourage customers to post images and videos using your products then repost them on your profiles. 📸
6. Use technology to craft personalized offers
With online competition getting fiercer by the second, it’s important to find ways to stand out above the competition.
One of the best ways to outrun your competitors this Halloween? Make the shopping experience all about your customers.
E-commerce personalization software can help you make relevant product-and-offer recommendations based on customer preferences and past actions.
Personalization will boost your Halloween e-commerce conversion rate. It will show customers they’re not just numbers on your site, but valued people you want to help, even beyond the holiday season.
7. Get funding to cover additional inventory and marketing spend
As you optimize your store for Halloween, spending will probably skyrocket. Without a solid plan, cash flow can get tight.
If there are gaps in your Q4 budget, aim to secure e-commerce funding now so you have the breathing room you need to launch new products and run your store efficiently during the busiest shopping season of the year. With the right capital in place, you’ll have the resources to take actions that keep you in stock and preserve your profits, momentum, and reputation.
For many sellers, a working capital credit limit is a flexible funding option you can rely on for 1 to 3 years, and draw from on an as-needed basis.
The secret to record-breaking Halloween e-commerce sales
Halloween is a great time to show off your brand, have fun with customers, and drive sales. But with so much on your plate this time of year, it can be tough to know where to start.
Don’t worry. With the right prep, there’s no hocus pocus needed to win more online sales this Halloween.
Start your Halloween prep early, research customer needs, then go all out on your delivery. Soon you’ll have an army of returning customers queuing up for Q4.
Ready for your best Q4 yet? SellersFi has got you covered.
